The Big Payback
by Nitrowugs
Summary: When Buffy quits the Watchers' Council after they refuse to help cure Angel, she is captured by Council henchmen and taken to London where she is tortured by the head watchers. What Quentin Travers doesn't know about soul mates, he's about to find out.
1. Buffy Is Taken Prisoner

The Big Payback

Author: Nitrowugs

Rating: PG for off-color words

Pairings: S/Dru, B/A/Aus, P/Gre

Feedback: Please. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with BtVS and AtS. (Characters from the shows are borrowed with no infringement intent whatsoever.)

Distribution: Please ask and let me know where it's going.

Written: 07/29/2011

Summary: When Buffy quits the Watchers' Council after they refuse to help cure Angel, she is captured by Council henchmen and taken to London where she is tortured by the Council and the head watchers. What Quentin Travers doesn't know about soul mates, he's about to learn – the hard way; and Angelus takes no prisoners, alive anyway.

A/N1: I have taken some liberties in this story: I have assumed that Angelus doesn't share Angel's concern about flying and that Penn's mate is Gretchen who was also sired by Angelus; I have borrowed the concept of Angel and Angelus being able to carry on a conversation with one another from other stories that I've read.

A/N2: Seasons 1 through 3 of BtVS happened; AtS happened up through 'Eternity' in Season 1 except that Doyle did not die in 'Hero'. After this the story goes AU.

A/N3: Okay, I'm still stuck on YouTube. I borrowed the story title from a song I found there. The lyrics don't fit, but I liked the title.

Chapter 1 - Buffy is Taken Prisoner

Part 1

Most of the students, faculty and guests at Sunnydale High School's 1999 graduation ceremony survived with a few scrapes and bruises and several had to be hospitalized. The few that did not make it would be remembered in a group ceremony later in the week. For now the survivors trudged homeward. Buffy and her friends were the last to leave the school campus; they would see each other tomorrow or the next day, but for now the only thing on Buffy's mind was sleep, 'For the rest of today and maybe tomorrow' she thought as she dragged herself up the front steps of the house at 1630 Revello Drive that she shared with her mother, Joyce.

If she hadn't been so tired and concentrating so hard on getting to sleep, she would have noticed that something was wrong with the door – it should not be unlocked. She had sent her mother out of town until graduation was over so no one should be at the house. She only became aware of intruders in her home after she had locked the door and turned to head for the stairs that led up to her bedroom. Six men armed with handguns, a tranquilizer gun and a dart gun entered quickly from the dining. Buffy heard a noise and turned just in time to avoid the dart heading for her back; she was not so lucky with the tranquilizer and the second dart as they both hit her in the chest. "Who are you and wha…" was all she managed before the powerful drugs took her down.

"See. I told you we needed both to take her out," bragged Beckham, the man with the dart gun, "these slayers are tough cookies."

"Shut up and get her secured before she wakes up," demanded Winston Davies, the leader of the group as he holstered his handgun. "I'm not taking any chances with this one. She's supposed to be the strongest slayer to ever live; she's already put the other slayer in a coma. It'll be quite a fine feather in our caps when we bring her in."

"I don't like it," said Tom Griffiths, the second in command. "You know what they're going to do to her; how can we just turn a young girl over to those sadistic bastards?" he asked his boss.

"It's our job and those 'sadistic bastards', as you call them, are our employers. We are well paid for the work that we do and if you don't have the stomach for it, then you shouldn't be in this line of work."

"We're supposed to retrieve escaped convicts and return them to prison, not these girls. You saw what they did to the last slayer that we retrieved for them; the body barely looked human when they were done with her."

Davies' voice softened. "I know Tommy, but what do you think they'll do to us if we fail a second time?"

Griffiths did not reply.

Part 2

Two hours after she was shot Buffy awoke to find herself bound and gagged on the floor of her living room. Her mouth was covered with duck tape and her hands and feet were bound together behind her back. She did not open her eyes completely at first; it might serve to her advantage if she did not alert her attackers to the fact that she was awake. She could hear voices that she did not recognize coming from her kitchen; they seemed to be arguing over next steps … and food. 'Don't tell me they've got the nerve to be raiding the refrigerator; what kind of fools are these?'

She struggled and was able to get up on her knees before Beckham, the guy with the dart gun, heard her and returned to the living room. He was eating a sandwich and carrying a glass of grapefruit juice. "You might as well give it up;" he said with a mouth full of food, "you're not going anywhere until we're ready."

Buffy mumbled something that he either did not understand or refused to understand.

"What's that you're saying," he laughed menacingly, "I can't understand your mumbling."

"For gods' sake, she's trying to tell you that she has to use the bathroom," Griffiths said as he walked into the room; "remove the bindings from her feet so that she can.

"Not a chance in hell that that's happening. You heard what Davies said."

"Fine," Griffiths said resolutely. "I'll take her myself."

He walked over to Buffy. "Miss Summers, my name is Griffiths; I'll take you to the bathroom." He picked her up marveling at how little she weighed and how tiny she was. He took her to the small downstairs bathroom. "Please excuse my presence, but I have been instructed not to leave you alone." He released her left foot and her right hand from the binding so that she could sit on the toilet seat, sort of. "Please don't try anything at all; the others will not hesitate to kill you." He whispered thinking no one would hear him.

Unfortunately, at that moment Davies, his boss, spoke up from behind him and said, "He's right about that. I'd rather transport a dead body than a live one any day. With a dead one I'm not bothered with potty breaks." He waved his gun menacingly at Buffy as he spoke.

'What does he mean transport? Where are they taking me? Oh gods, please don't let it be to the Watchers Council.' Buffy's mind was racing. 'I have to get myself out of this mess. How am I going to let anyone know where I am?'

Griffiths returned Buffy to the living room and re-secured her bindings. By that time the other intruders had gathered in the living room, all of them except Griffiths carrying plates of food or sandwiches in their hands. 'I see they've helped themselves to what they found in the refrigerator; pigs; I hope they choke on it.'

Davies spoke with an air of extreme contempt that showed in his voice and his mannerisms when he said, "In case you haven't figured it out yet, we're a Retrieval Team sent by the Watchers' Council in London. You are to stand trial for your crimes against your calling and against the Council. Don't bother trying to escape; we are more than prepared for you this time. We pumped enough drugs into you to keep an elephant down. I guess it's true what they say about slayers…"

Griffiths interrupted his boss. "Why don't you leave her alone, Winston? You can see that she is frightened. She will have enough to deal with once we turn her over to Travers."

"You're a blooming bleeding heart, you are; no one gives a damn about these girls, not even their own families. Why else would any parents turn their child over to strangers just because some watcher tells them that the child has a destiny to save the world? These watchers could be lunatics bent on kidnapping young girls, but with little effort they easily persuade seemingly intelligent adults to relinquish their daughters with no assurance that they will be taken care of and with no prospect of ever seeing them again. Now you tell me why I should care about them."

"For the reasons that you just gave: because nobody else cares about them." Griffiths realized he was letting his emotions get the best of him. He took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "I don't understand it either; I just don't want us to harm her, she has enough ahead of her as it is."

Buffy listened to the conversation between the two men. 'So, I have at least one of them on my side. I'll use that to my advantage if I can.' When she heard them mention the Watcher's Council she began to struggle more fiercely to free herself, knowing full well that if she left American soil, she was as good as dead.

"Shut the bloody hell up," an annoyed Beckham yelled with food flying out of his mouth as he rushed over to Buffy, kicking her in the side before Griffiths could stop him.

That was a mistake. An outraged Griffiths grabbed the taller man by the arm and spun him around; without hesitating he punched Beckham in the nose so hard that blood splattered everywhere. "Don't ever hit her again," Griffiths yelled shaking his fist at Beckham as he lay bleeding on the floor. "Go near her again and I'll kill you." He turned and bent down to check on Buffy who seemed to be choking under the gag. Griffiths carefully removed the gag and lifted Buffy into an upright position. She continued coughing as she tried to get a calm breath. She nearly fell over before he caught her; he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe Buffy's face and mouth as he held onto her shaking form. "Don't worry, miss, I won't let him get near you again," he said as he glared daggers at Beckham.

"I'm pressing charges against you, you bloody bastard; wait 'til we get back to London," Beckham yelled.

"And what're you gonna say in court, Beckham? What reason will you give for my punching you? _He was trying to stop me from beating a defenseless girl who was bound and gagged?_ That'll go over big in court."

"Let it go, Beckham." Davies told him. "You deserve a lot more than you got, now let it go."

"You're always sticking up for him," Beckham complained; "you're always taking his side."

"That's because he's usually right. Now get something to get that blood out of the carpet. We can't leave any evidence that we've been here." Then to the entire team he said, "Let this be the last display before we turn over the girl. Nothing else happens to jeopardize this mission, is that understood?"

There were a few nods from the others.

"I said, 'Is that understood?'" Davies bellowed.

A chorus of "Understood" came back loud and clear.

Davies turned to Griffiths. "She's your responsibility from now on. You'd just better make sure she gets to her destination in one piece."

Griffiths nodded briefly and, without uttering a sound, picked Buffy up and carried her to the sofa. "This'll be a bit more comfortable for you, miss."

"T-Thank you," Buffy spoke for the first time since being shot with the tranquilizers. She looked up at Griffiths with sad green eyes. He nodded at her but did not say anything.

It broke his heart to see the look of helplessness on her face. He left the room and returned with a small glass of orange juice. He lifted Buffy upright, held her while she drank and wiped her mouth when she was finished. "There now, miss, would you care for something to eat?"

Buffy shook her head, no.

"I'll leave the gag off then; try to get some rest." He laid her down on the sofa and took a seat in the opposite chair so that he could watch her.

Part 3

Buffy knew that begging for additional help from Griffiths was not wise at this point. The others could hear everything that was being said and she could not put him, her only hope, in jeopardy. She would have to better gauge her time for the best moment to act. She looked at the others around the room. Apparently they had all finished eating and returned the kitchen to the state they found it in. They were all staring at her with varying looks on their faces. Some she interpreted as self satisfied sneers for having captured her; others, such as Davies, she interpreted as outright hatred. Only one face showed any degree of shame or concern. Griffiths. Buffy heard a noise that sounded like a car pulling into the driveway, but before she could scream for help, she felt the stings of the tranquilizer darts hit her in the shoulder and chest and she was out cold.

"And another for good measure," came Beckham's nasally voice that was hampered by the broken nose he had received earlier. He pumped another dart into Buffy's back.

"That wasn't necessary, you asshole," Griffiths said with a warning.

"But then I'm the one with the gun and I say what's necessary," Beckham shot back.

Davies pulled back a corner of the window draperies and looked out; finding what he expected, the opened back-end of a huge black van, he gave the signal and the men moved toward the door. Griffiths picked Buffy's unconscious body up and carried her out. He secured her in a seat in the van next to one of the blacked-out windows and took the seat next to her. Wilson, who was responsible for making sure everything in the house was as close to its original state as possible, took a last look around, closed the front door and stepped into the back of the van. With that the van pulled off into the night carrying an unconscious slayer to a destiny so horrible she could not have imagined it when she went to bed the night before.


	2. Faith Seeks Revenge

The Big Payback

Chapter 2 – Faith Seeks Revenge

Part 1

Angel was awaken by the telephone. 'What now, Doyle?' he thought as he reached for the phone.

"Angel, I just had a vision of Buffy in trouble. She was in a house in, I'm guessing it was Sunnydale, I couldn't tell, but you have to hurry."

"All right." Angel hung up the phone. 'How am I supposed to get to Sunnydale at 10 a.m.?' He picked up the phone again and dialed Giles number; when he answered the phone, Angel asked, "Giles, is Buffy all right? A friend of mind just had a vision of her in trouble."

"I don't know about your friend's vision, Angel, but I doubt that Buffy is in trouble. She decided she would forego patrolling for a few days and sleep in to give herself a chance to recover from the last few weeks' activities. I agreed that that was a good idea. All of us are taking a much needed break. However, if you're that concerned, why don't you call her to make sure?"

"I can't do that, Giles; I promised that I wouldn't bother her any more. Can you do a three way to her house without letting her know that I am on the phone?"

"I understand, Angel; just mute your phone and stay on the line while I call Buffy. That way, you can hear her but she can't hear you."

When Giles made the call, an upset Joyce answered the phone. Buffy was not there, she had taken off again, leaving another of her little notes on her bed. Apparently she and Angel broke up and she was so upset about it she needed to get away for a while. "Do you know that she emptied my refrigerator and made a mess on the living room carpet before she left? I hope she stays away this time. I have had enough," an irate Joyce said before hanging up the phone.

"Angel did you catch all of that? It looks like Buffy has run away again. I guess with all that has happened plus with your leaving, it was too much for her. Most irresponsible of her if you ask me."

"Giles, what if she didn't run away; what if she really is in trouble? Can you call Willow and Xander to see if they have heard from her?"

"Of course, hang on."

Responses from Willow and Xander were a combination of confusion and anger. Their opinion was that if Buffy really had taken off again like before, they would prefer that she didn't come back.

Part 2

Two days later Angel got a call from Giles. Faith was awake and was out to kill Buffy and her friends and Giles really needed his help. "I'll leave right after sundown, Giles," Angel told him.

Sure enough, Faith was on a rampage when Angel got there. She had captured Joyce in her own home and was trying to force her to tell her of Buffy's whereabouts; Faith didn't believe it when she was told that Buffy had left town and no one knew where she was.

"Read the note that she left," Joyce told her. "It's in there on her bed."

"I don't believe it," Faith said incredulously, "sweet little B actually went against the rules and left town? There's hope for her yet." To herself she thought, 'And I know exactly where she went.' She knocked Joyce out for the heck of it, left her tied to her bed and took off with plans to look up Buffy in LA because she was sure that that was where Buffy would go. Just as she opened the front door, she found herself facing Angel. "Where's Buffy?" she demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a cagey Angel replied as he and Giles stepped inside. "What did you do to Joyce?"

Infuriated that he figured her out so quickly, Faith attacked. Angel managed to defeat her and knocked her out.

While Faith and Angel fought Giles searched the house for Buffy's mother. He found her still unconscious and tied to her bed. He untied her and when she regained consciousness he told her that they had captured Faith and would be turning her over to the authorities. What he didn't tell her was that he was turning her over to the Watchers' Council. He didn't tell Angel either.

Remembering Giles' telephone conversation with Joyce, Angel checked out the stain on the living room carpet and told Joyce, "That stain on your living room carpet is blood; it's not Buffy's, but it is definitely blood."

Joyce didn't care and Giles had an explanation for it, "She probably brought it home from the activities on graduation day."

More concerned now than ever that something had happened to Buffy, Angel asked to see the note that was left. When he looked at it, he became furious. "This note is printed on a computer printer; anyone could have done this. Doesn't this seem odd to any of you?"

By now Faith was conscious and heard Angel's question. "It did seem odd to me that B would go to the trouble of typing a note and printing it instead of just writing it, since she was in such a hurry to get away from home as the note implies."

Giles and Joyce still refused to believe that anything had happened other than that Buffy had run away from home, again.

Angel volunteered to stay in Sunnydale until Giles contacted the authorities to have Faith picked up, but Giles assured him that he had everything under control and that Angel should return to LA. It disturbed him that Giles and the others, even Joyce, were taking such a cavalier attitude about Buffy's disappearance. None of them, except Tara, were concerned that she might be in trouble.

Back at his house Giles contacted Quentin Travers at the Watchers' Council and explained to him what had happened with Faith, Travers congratulated him and said that a team would be there to pick her up later that afternoon.

While Giles was on the phone with Travers, he mentioned to him that Buffy was missing and told him about the note that was left on her bed. For good reason Travers did not seem concerned about Buffy, because he said, "Give her a little time, Mr. Giles; according to you she has been through a lot recently and maybe as her note says, she just needs a bit of a break. Please keep me posted and let me know if you need support from the Council."

Giles was pleased to get back in Travers' good graces and he hung up the phone feeling quite pleased with his position at the moment. However, when he went to check on Faith, she had escaped and was no place to be found. He called Angel to let him know that Faith had escaped and might be on her way to LA.

When Faith arrived at Angel's apartment, he was able to convince her to stop running; she decided to turn herself in to LA police and to accept whatever punishment they gave her.


	3. Spike and Dru Are Taken

The Big Payback

Chapter 3 - Spike and Dru Are Taken

Part 1

Spike had been a prisoner of the Watchers' Council for months. He remembered well the day that he was captured; it was not long after the day that he found Drusilla, his mate, with a chaos demon. When he protested she turned on him. Never before had he been on this end of Drusilla's wrath; he did not think she was capable of speaking to him or treating him the way she did – and all for a chaos demon, one of the most repulsive creatures he had ever seen. She had thrown him out of their lair and told him to never come back, "to go back to that mean old slayer that you are so fond of".

He had left then and wandered aimlessly around town for days going from one bar to another until some guy struck up a conversation with him and, after several drinks, they started reminiscing about lost loves. The guy was human and didn't seem to realize that Spike wasn't; it didn't matter to Spike, especially since the guy was paying for the drinks.

What Spike didn't notice was that he was the one doing most of the drinking and that one time when he turned his head to talk to someone on the other side of him, his drinking partner slipped something into his drink. All Spike knew was that when he woke up, he was bound and gagged on the floor in the back of a van that was moving at a high rate of speed and his drinking partner had a tranquilizer gun aimed at him. All of his efforts to free himself proved fruitless and he ended up a prisoner of the Watchers' Council.

When he arrived at Council headquarters in London he was dragged down what seemed like a long hallway to a hidden elevator and eventually dumped onto the floor of the cell that he currently occupied. There were other prisoners in the cells, vampires and demons of all sorts that showed evidence of all kinds of torture. The place looked like a madman's playroom.

In the time that he had been imprisoned he had witnessed torture that would have made Angelus proud. He had been questioned, drugged, beaten and starved. When he was fed, it was on something so foul that he had emptied his stomach the first few times until he was eventually able to tolerate the vile liquid that they called blood.

The questions generally centered around his relationship with the slayer and her relationship with Angelus. Apparently the watchers made no distinction between the souled and the unsouled versions of his grandsire. After they felt they had gotten all of the information that he knew about Buffy, they decided upon the ultimate punishment for him. They restored his soul. They did not get the results they expected.

Part 2

Spike had been captured and imprisoned about three weeks before they brought Dru in. Judging by what one of the guards had said, he could only guess that somehow she found out that he had been captured and was being held by the Watchers' Council and when she tried to rescue him, she herself was taken. This meant that regardless of what she had said to him about siding with the slayer against her and Angelus, she still cared for him; she was still his dark princess.

Now she sat whimpering in the corner of her small cell, completely ignoring everyone and everything. She ate when she was feed and that's it. Her jailers got no other response from her.

At this point Spike didn't know how much more punishment he and Dru could take, especially Dru. He remembered the way she looked when they first brought her into the cells. He didn't know how long she had been held before they brought her in and literally threw her into the cell two rows down from where he was being held. What was formerly her dress was in tatters and caked with dried blood, apparently from lashes with a whip, and her already thin frame was little more than skin and bones. Her beautiful dark hair had been chopped off unevenly and it too was matted with dried blood. It was obvious that she had been beaten and that she was being starved. If he could have gotten his hands on the animals that brought her in, he would have used every torture trick he'd learned from Angelus, and then some, to make sure that they paid, and paid dearly, for what they had done to his mate.

After about three weeks Drusilla had retreated to within her own mind and she no longer responded to the frequent beatings that Travers and his cohorts administered. Quentin Travers, head of the Watchers' Council, was a miserable excuse for a human being. At first Spike had watched as one after another they committed all sorts of outrageous detestable acts on Drusilla, but when Travers entered the prison where the two of them were being held, it was a whole new ball game. He could no longer watch, but he couldn't help from hearing and imagining what was happening while Travers was urged on by the fools who accompanied him.

Once she became unresponsive, just as they had done to him, those bastards returned her soul and still they punished her. Wasn't she tormented enough by the memories of past deeds, brutal, horrible deeds, committed by her own hands? Did they have to continue their attacks on her? Spike was afraid she would lose her mind completely this time.

Quite the opposite happened. Drusilla seemed to gain a clarity that Spike had never seen in her. She was still unresponsive to the torture, but when they were alone, Drusilla spoke with reasonableness and clearness of mind. With the return of her soul, Drusilla also regained her sanity. She retreated to a corner of her cell and whimpered like a wounded animal. He imagined this was the impact of the demon showing her all the evil deeds that it had committed and convincing her that she had committed the acts herself.

All of the other prisoners had been killed off in one way or another and he and Drusilla were the only ones left. When they took the last body away, Quentin Travers turned to him with an insane gleam in his eyes and said, "Don't worry vampire, company is coming."

Spike was not like Angel and Drusilla. Once his soul was returned, no amount of physical or mental torture would convince him that he, William Pendleton, had committed acts of torture and murder. They could starve him to death and they could torture him as much as they liked, but they would never break his mind. Seeing the creature before him that was now Drusilla, he was more determined than ever to survive and he resolved that going forward his sole mission in his unlife would forever be revenge.


	4. Buffy Is Tortured

The Big Payback

Chapter 4 – Buffy Is Tortured

Part 1

When Buffy became aware again she ached all over mainly from being shot so many time with the dart and tranquilizer guns, but also from being secured for hours to car seats and airplane seats. Her legs and feet, arms and hands were numb. She didn't know how they had managed it, but they had traveled in first class on a passenger airplane with her bound and gagged and no one had said anything to them or approached them in any way, not even the airline attendants.

Her legs were bound to the metal legs of the airplane seat; her hands were bound to the arms of the seat and she was gagged and then her mouth covered with duck tape. Couldn't these people see that something was wrong here? Even criminals are not treated so badly. 'I guess as long as they pay the premium price for first class, anything they do is alright.'

It was almost daylight out when the plane landed … in London … Buffy assumed. After everyone else had left the plane she saw Davies make a call on his cell phone, but she could not hear what was being said. After he ended the call, Buffy heard him tell Griffiths. "They're here." Griffiths then freed her arms and legs and tried to help her stand. Because of the condition of her legs and feet she could not stand and, as she almost fell, she began choking. He caught her, removed the tape and gag from over her mouth, picked her up and carried her off the plane. As he walked down the steps from the plane Buffy managed to whisper to him, "A-Angelus, c-contact A-Ange…." before she starting coughing again. He made no indication that he heard or understood what she had tried to say.

A black limousine with completely darkened windows was waiting for them next to the plane and when she was placed inside, her earlier assumption was confirmed; she was not surprised to see Quentin Travers already there. He spoke with his usual haughty, self righteous tone of voice. "Miss Summers. We meet again." Before he closed the door Buffy caught a glimpse of Griffiths' face. He had tears in his eyes.

Part 2

No more words were spoken until the limo arrived at its destination and Travers spoke to the driver, "Drive around to the back entrance; I will meet you there." Buffy looked up at the huge foreboding building and Travers caught the look in her eyes as he got out of the car. "Enjoy the view, Miss Summers, and inhale deeply; it's the last daylight and fresh air you'll ever experience," he said with a sneer as he slammed the door in her face.

At the back of the building the driver pulled into a long winding tunnel that went underground. When the headlights fell upon what appeared to be a brick wall, the driver beeped the horn once and the wall rose allowing the car to enter; Travers was standing to the left of the door along with Davies and Smithers.

"Blindfold and gag her and take her to the cells," Travers ordered and they proceeded as they were told. The two men dragged Buffy from the car and, none too gently, threw her into the nearest cell where she landed hard on the concrete floor. She heard the limo start up and back out before the brick wall fell into place.

"Why don't you give Miss Summers a hearty welcome before you leave, as a sort of example of what she can expect as long as she survives?" Travers asked as he proceeded up the stairs and away from the cells. Without warning the two men attacked and proceeded to beat and kick the slayer unmercifully. Blindfolded with her hands bound behind her back, her feet were the only defense she had. Thankfully her limbs had returned to normal during the long car ride and the prior numbness was gone. Buffy backed away from the blows until she reached the back of the cage; she centered herself. Then, as she felt her attackers approach again, she jumped up and kicked out with both feet catching the two men unaware. They fell to the floor unconscious; their heads hitting the concrete floor didn't help their situation any.

Part 3

Spike had seen the men bring a woman into the prison and throw her into a cell, but he did not know it was Buffy until Travers spoke. 'Bloody hell,' he thought to himself, 'it's the slayer.' He heard the door at the end of the hall slam shut behind Travers and watched as Smithers and Davies attached and beat her; he was surprised at her resourcefulness when they ended up the ones unconscious on the floor.

He had to be careful; he never knew when someone would enter the hall leading to the cells and overhear him talking. He had to leave his captors in the dark as much as possible. "Slayer, are you all right," he whispered, briefly forgetting that she couldn't answer him.

Buffy nodded in reply.

"It's Spike, slayer. Dru and I have been prisoners here for months." Then he had an idea. "Can you follow my directions and come to me?"

Buffy nodded again.

Spike directed her through the three rows of twelve cells until she was in front of his cell. He pushed the blindfold up onto her head so she could see and gently removed the gag covering her mouth. "T-Thank you," was all she could get out.

"Take it easy, slayer. You might be here for a while. Leave the bindings partially on for now so we can put them back before Travers returns later in the morning or when we see your friends over there start to come around."

He then freed her arms that were bound at the wrist behind her back. It took a while for Buffy to get feeling back into her upper limbs and hands.

It was at this point that Buffy got a good look at Spike. He was naked except for what looked like a pair of ragged shorts that were a couple sizes too big; his entire chest, arms, legs and face were covered with whelps, unhealed burns and wounds and what looked like places where flesh had been gouged out. "Gods, S-Spike, what did they do to you?"

"Everything imaginable and then some, but I'm okay, slayer; I'll survive. It's Dru that I'm worried about." He stepped aside to reveal Drusilla in the corner of the cell behind his.

Buffy hadn't realized that that was a person behind him. She took a quick intake of breath and tears came to her eyes when she saw Drusilla. Her physical condition was at least as bad as Spike's was, but the thing that got Buffy was the look in Drusilla's eyes when she turned to face the slayer. "What have they done to her?"

"They restored our souls. Dru isn't taking it too well."

"Can she hear me?"

"Yes."

"Drusilla listen to me; do you know who I am?"

Dru turned completely around to look at the speaker. "Yes, you're the slayer; Angel's slayer."

"That's right, I'm Angel's slayer. Knowing that, you also know that you can trust what I say."

"I know."

Buffy stumbled over the words because of the condition of her mouth and throat, but she continued; she had to get the words out. "Good. Drusilla I know that you have memories of doing a lot of evil things, of torturing and killing men, women and children. Those are not your memories, Drusilla; those are the memories of the demon that inhabits your body, the demon that Angelus forced upon you. You, your soul, would never commit such evil. Would you?"

"No, slayer, never.

"Remember that from now on, Drusilla; no matter what Travers or any of the others tell you, always remember that. Can you do that?"

"Yes. Thank you, slayer."

"You are welcome. And Drusilla, don't let Travers know that I have spoken with you. Let him think we are enemies."

"I will do as you say, slayer."

Just as Buffy finished talking to Drusilla, they heard the sound of a door opening. Spike knew that someone was coming to the cells. "Buffy, quick, let me rebind your hands and blindfold you again. You have to get back to your cell before they get here. I do not know the codes to open the door to the tunnel."

Part 4

When Quentin Travers walked into the cells, he saw Spike and Drusilla in their cells as he had left them, so he turned to go to Buffy's cell; when he did he got the surprise of his life. Buffy was sitting on the floor in the farthest corner of the cell still blindfolded with her hands secured behind her back and a gag over her mouth. On the floor near the door were the two men who had been left to "give Miss Summers a hearty welcome" as Travers had put it.

"You bitch," he swore at Buffy, "what did you do to them? You'll pay for this." He hurried up the stairs and out of the prison.

About two hours later Travers returned with three of the remaining men that had brought Buffy to London; all four of them carried weapons. Griffiths was not among them. "Keep her covered," he commanded; "if she moves, shoot her."

Wilson retrieved the cell keys from a hook near the door and walked over to Buffy's cell. When he went to put the key into the lock, he exclaimed "The door isn't even locked. How in hell did she defeat them bound and gagged as she was?"

"This slayer is very resourceful," Travers said remembering Buffy's success at the cruciamentum on her eighteenth birthday six months earlier. "I won't underestimate her again. Get them out of here."

Between the three men they removed their unconscious friends up the stairs to the hall and returned for further instructions. As he turned to leave, Travers motioned with his head to Beckham, who gladly obliged.

Stepping forward without entering the cell he said, his voice laced with hatred for the slayer, "You remember me don't you, miss? I'm the one who suffered a broken nose because of you." With that he fired three tranquilizer darts into her and Buffy slumped over unconscious. Beckham proceeded to kick the slayer unmercifully until one of his friends stopped him.

"That's enough; you really are a sadistic bastard, aren't you? Kicking a little girl like that, while she is unconscious no less." Wilson told him.

"She wasn't unconscious when I got this broken nose was she?"

"And she wasn't the one to give it to you."

"I take my revenge where I can get it," Beckham said kicking Buffy one last time before leaving the cell.

Part 5

Spike was horrified as he watched the proceedings a short distance away from his cell. How was Buffy ever going to survive the kind of torture they had given him and Dru. He had to do something to help her, but what? There had to be a way for him to send a message to his grandsire. He now regretted not paying attention when Angelus had tried to teach him. As the men passed his cell he mustered up the courage to speak, knowing full well that they might turn their wrath on him at any moment.

"You've just made a big mistake," he said to them.

The men paused, but only Beckham spoke. "And what mistake would that be, vampire?"

"You just attacked Angelus' mate. I'd hate to be in your shoes when he finds out about it."

Wilson looked nervous. "Angelus? The Scourge of Europe? That Angelus? That's his mate?"

Spike wanted to laugh so badly, but he only nodded his head and said, "I saw what he did to a group of humans who attached Darla once; and she wasn't his mate, just his sire. It made some of us sick to watch."

The men started to mumble fearful regrets among themselves. "Don't let that bloody vampire get to you," Beckham warned. "He's just trying to scare you."

"Well he's doing a good job of it," Wilson retorted. "I'm getting out of here and I'm not coming back."

"Ah go on, you're yellow, just like Griffiths," Beckham yelled at him. "If Angelus wants me, let him come." He waved his dart gun. "I'm ready for him."

"Angelus will have that gun wrapped around your throat before you can even breathe," Spike told him.

"Shut up, you mangy vampire; just shut up."

The men left without another word. Spike was pleased with the impact his words had on the men. 'That should give them something to think about before they come back.'


	5. Angel and Angelus Make a Deal

The Big Payback

Chapter 5 – Angel and Angelus Make a Deal

A/N: While speaking with Angel, Angelus' words are shown between double equals, == ==.

Part 1

Once again Angel was startled awake from the nightmares he had been having for what seemed like forever. Over and over he was seeing Buffy in trouble, calling him for help. He had been in Los Angeles five long weeks and he knew that the nightmares were just his guilty conscience playing tricks on him. He had left Buffy standing on the street without so much as a wave goodbye.

How could he have done such a thing? 'I know that I had to leave, but I could have done it differently; I could have talked to her, told her how much I still love her, promised her that I would return as soon as I had made amends or as soon as I figured out a way to bind my soul, let her know that I wouldn't stay away forever, told her that she should not put her life on hold for me, but promised her that some day we would have our happy ever after. Why didn't I do that?'

==I don't give a rat's ass what you did or didn't do in the past; our mate is in trouble and all you're doing is lying here feeling sorry for yourself. Get your ass up and do something about it. Open the link so that I can respond to her. Maybe she can tell me where she is.==

Angel ignored Angelus as usual. He was startled again when the phone rang, and he was annoyed. 'Why would Doyle be calling me this time of day?' He was even more startled when he heard a strange voice on the phone.

"I'd like to speak to Angelus, please. It is most urgent."

The first thing Angel thought was that this was some kind of joke. Why would anybody call him looking for Angelus?

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"I beg your pardon," a very British voice replied, "My name is Griffiths. I work for the Watchers' Council in London. Several weeks ago I was part of a retrieval team sent to the US to capture Miss Summers and return her to London for trial."

"WHAT?"

"Are you Angelus?"

Without hesitating Angel replied, "Yes, I am."

"Then you must hurry. I don't know how much longer Miss Summers can survive the starvation and torture that she is suffering at the hands of Quentin Travers, head of the Watchers' Council."

"I know who Travers is and I don't believe you."

"Her watcher said the same thing when I spoke to him weeks ago, but I thought surely, as her watcher, he would be concerned about his slayer enough to do something, anything. If he has called Travers to verify what I told him, then Travers knows that I have betrayed the Council and he will be after me. I am not so concerned for myself; I deserve whatever punishment I get for not contacting you in the first place, but Miss Summers is an innocent in this. If you are truly her mate, then you must know that I am telling you the truth; you know that she is in danger. I only hope that you get to her in time. Contact me when you get to London. I can help you."

Part 2

Angel hung up the phone. 'This could be a trick.'

==Are you insane?==

Angelus was raving mad as he spoke in Angel's mind.

==You have been having the dreams. She is calling us for help. You know that she would not go off without telling anyone unless she had a good reason. What about what her mother said about food missing from the refrigerator? You know that Buffy couldn't eat that much in one day. And the blood in the carpet, she must have tried to defend herself. Are you going to just leave her there? If my mate dies and I could have prevented it and you failed to act, I will make the rest of your unlife a living hell.==

Before Angel could reply, the phone rang again; this time it was Doyle. He was frantic. "Angel, Buffy is in serious trouble; it looked like she was in some kind of prison and she can't defend herself, you have to go to her, Angel. You have to go now."

Angel hung up the phone and replied to Angelus. 'What if what Griffiths said **is** true? You heard what he said; her friends in Sunnydale do not believe him. How am I supposed to attack the Watchers' Council alone?'

==You're not. I am. You don't have it in you to do what needs to be done.==

'What? No. I cannot let you out. You would kill everybody.'

==Everybody connected to this assault, yes I would. Look, Angel, she is my mate as much as she is yours. I love her probably more than you ever could. After I know she is safe and everyone responsible for this has been taken care of, I will willingly return control to you. You have my word.==

This was probably the first time Angelus had ever called him Angel … he must be serious. 'All right. When it comes to Buffy, I believe that I can trust you. All I ask is that you make them suffer and don't tell me about it afterwards.'

==It's a deal. Now where are Spike and Drusilla?==

'I don't know. I haven't heard from either of them since your fight with Buffy. Dru wouldn't willingly stay away from you this long unless … '

==No!==

Angelus said adamantly.

==Drusilla is still alive; I would know otherwise, so would you. I can only surmise that she has been captured, probably by the same people who took our mate; that would mean that Spike has also been captured. She can easily reach me telepathically; I wonder why she has not done so. Penn and Gretchen are still in Europe; I will contact him from the plane and have him meet me with as many reliable reinforcements as he can get. In the meantime I want Gretchen to start a little computer research project for me.==

'You sound as though you're going to war against the Watchers' Council.'

==I am.==


	6. Angelus To The Rescue

The Big Payback

Chapter 6 - Angelus To The Rescue

Part 1

As far as Buffy could tell she hadn't eaten since the morning of the previous day, or maybe it was the previous week, she couldn't remember. All she knew was that she was very hungry and she had received very little food and water in the time she had been in prison. She had tried to reach Angel through their link, but had gotten no response. 'I guess he really did sever all ties when he left Sunnydale.'

Part 2

As days and weeks passed the torture at the hands of Travers and his friends seemed to have lessened in frequency, but not in severity. They seemed to be losing interest. Sometimes days would pass before anyone entered the cells.

Buffy had been given drugs at some point that made her have terrible hallucinations; she saw her worst nightmares come to life before her eyes and at one point she could not tell what was real and what was not. She saw Angelus free again, killing and maiming at will; she saw Angel staked; she saw her friends, Giles, Willow and Xander being taken by the same men who had taken her from her home. When she saw Willow killed in front of her she lost it; she attacked what she thought was a demon (she later found out that it was Beckham), and beat him to death using just her feet.

After that she was not given any more of the drugs; Travers considered her too dangerous; she was too susceptible to suggestion when drugged. He left Beckham's dead body in Buffy's cage for days, insisting he was teaching her a lesson; after all she had killed a human being, she had to pay for that crime. It was only when he could no longer stand the smell that he had the body removed.

She still wore the clothes that she had on when she arrived in London, but now they were mere shreds of fabric hanging from her body, ripped and torn from the many lashes of the whip that she had received. Her body showed the results of far too little nourishment. She was extremely thin. Still she tried to flex her muscles as much as her weak body would allow and she practiced meditating and mind building exercises that she had learned from Giles and Angel. Buffy was determined to survive as long as she could and, like Spike, she would never let her will be broken.

Part 3

During the periods of time when they were alone, Buffy, Spike and Drusilla had time to discuss strategies. "Are there any other prisoners here?" Buffy wanted to know.

"No. There were others here when I arrived, but they were killed and their bodies removed before you were brought in. There may be other parts of the prison; I don't know."

Seeing how Spike and Drusilla were being tortured, Buffy made a promise to them that if she ever escaped, she would free them as well and she got them to promise that if they escaped, they would not tell Angel about her being imprisoned. She did not want to risk his getting captured while trying to free her. Spike and Dru agreed among themselves, but did not tell Buffy, if they ever got free they would get Angel and come back for her. They could not leave her to these monsters.

Part 4

At one point Travers came to the prison and told Buffy that he had also captured Angel, Xander and Willow and they would never leave his prison alive. Buffy broke down then. This was just what Travers wanted to see, a broken slayer. He was not aware of the agreement between the vampires and the slayer or that there was a truce between. When he left, Spike told Buffy that he could not feel Angel anywhere near and Xander and Willow were not in the prison. Buffy was so relieved to hear this, she burst into tears all over again; she just wanted to get away to make sure that her friends were all right.

Travers continued his attempts at mental torture; however, he was not aware of the communication between Buffy and Spike and that Buffy's mental state was not as she allowed him to believe.

In the meantime in Sunnydale with help from Giles and Tara, Willow was becoming a proficient Wicca; along with Anya, she and Tara were a big help to Giles in the magic shop. Life continued for them without Buffy whose name was never mentioned. Only Tara, who had never been introduced to Buffy, held no animosity toward her; even her mother, who had left Sunnydale, did not want to see her.

Part 5

Angelus took a non-stop flight from LA to New York. To anyone seated with him in first class he looked like any other business man with his expensive business suit, briefcase and umbrella. Only he knew that what he carried in the briefcase was not at all related to business and his umbrella was a cleverly disguised sword. He tried to relax, but he knew it was impossible, as he waited in his hotel room at the airport for the second leg of the trip that would land in London around two o'clock in the morning.

Penn and Gretchen met him at the airport. Even though they had not seen their sire for over one hundred years, seeing the look on his face they knew this was not a time for celebrations; without words they motioned for Angelus to follow them to the first of six parked cars and after Penn gave instructions to the driver, Gretchen pulled out a small brief case containing a two disk DVD and a folder of documentation and handed them it Angelus. "Here is all of the information that you requested. It was all online, including pictures."

Taking the package of information, Angelus said, "Good. I want you to put on a little presentation for a group of watchers. In the meantime, Penn, I want you to start gathering these people; I'll let you know what to do with them later. For now you and your people just keep them quiet and out of the way and make sure that The Specialist does his job."

Penn had one of his buddies, a vampire that called himself The Specialist, take care of the Council's cook. The Specialist simply hypnotized the cook and gave her instructions on what to do; afterwards she would remember nothing. On a certain day she was to put the white powder that he gave her into all of the food and drinks that she prepared for the Council. The truth drug would put into a state of semi-consciousness for forty-eight hours all who consumed it. It would also require them to answer truthfully any questions asked of them during that time period. Penn had used the services of The Specialist several times before and he knew him to be meticulous and trustworthy.

After reviewing the information he had received, Angelus knew exactly how he would proceed. "I need to make a phone call," he said to no one in particular and the driver passed him the car phone. He dialed the number given him by Griffiths who answered immediately. Griffiths explained to him the layout of the Council building, the prison and how to get to the tunnel that led to the back entrance of the prison. He also gave him the codes for both sides of the door entrance. According to him most of the watchers were at a retreat for the weekend, courtesy of the Council head, but the rest of the two retrieval teams may still be in the building.

"If there is anything else I can do for you, do not hesitate to call," Griffiths told him before hanging up the phone. Gretchen had included blueprints of the Council building that showed the latest updates, including a rear entrance that ran underground and exited through a tunnel a few miles away from the building; these matched Griffiths' explanations exactly.

'Now what do you supposed that tunnel is used for? I bet it could tell stories of many a nasty occurrence that old Quentin has been hiding.' Angelus thought to himself. 'I think that's where I'll start.'

"Be sure you can find this presentation room and be ready for a viewing three nights from now," he told Gretchen and, as he exited the vehicle near the tunnel entrance, to Penn he said, "Hide two of the cars nearby and have a dozen of the recruits follow me for backup; take the others with you, you're going to need them."

Part 6

Angelus had watched as four men left thru the tunnel exit carrying what looked like bodies wrapped in canvas and he hoped, no he knew for sure, that Buffy was not one of them. 'I would know,' he assured himself. 'I would know.'

When the men returned he followed them and listened as they gave a signal at the end of the tunnel and when a door opened, he saw Quentin Travis. Again he waited and this time only two men came out carrying one body; again it was not Buffy. He heard one of the men say, "This is the last of them; finally, now we can get cleaned up."

Angelus was waiting for them when they returned after disposing of the last body. He waited until they gave the signal and the tunnel door started to rise, he quickly knocked them out and entered. The two men on the other side of the door were so startled that they are knocked unconscious before they could recover. Some distance from the tunnel door were the cells where Spike, Drusilla and Buffy were being held prisoners. He saw Spike and Drusilla first and lifted his index finger indicating for them to be quiet. In his briefcase he carried bagged blood for his two childer which he passed to them thru the bars of the cell. Angelus mouthed, "Where is Buffy?"

Spike mouthed back, "There," pointing farther up the row to a cell on the opposite side of the prison where Travers was standing with his back to them. Angelus' eyes widened and a low growl escaped his lips when he saw a human body on the floor.

Spike shook his head and mouthed, "Angelus, she's all right; she just fainted."

Without making a sound Angelus approached Travis and knocked him out just as he turned around. With all of his strength he gave one mighty tug and the bars of the prison cell gave way. He entered the cell and picked Buffy up; he sat on the floor cradling her, rocking her in his arms until she came to.

"Angelus?" Buffy whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Yeah baby, it's me." He wondered briefly how she knew he was not Angel.

Buffy burst into tears. "You shouldn't have come here; they will kill you; you should have let me die here."

Angelus held her closer, careful not to cause her any more harm, his dead heart constricted over the state she was in and still she was more concerned for him. "Never, Buffy; never," he told her, his voice hoarse with emotion. He stood up and carried her to Spike and Dru who had regained some of their strength and together had freed themselves from their cells.

Drusilla spoke to him in a quiet but firm voice. "Thank you for saving us, Angelus."

Angelus couldn't believe that this was his childe. "Drusilla?"

"Yes. I'm Drusilla."

He stared at her, still not believing his eyes and ears. Then it dawned on him. "You have your soul," he stated.

"Yes. One of our jailers returned it to me. He did it to punish me. He didn't expect that it would clear my mind." She looked at Angelus; his face showed his regret and he was nearly in tears. "No, Angelus. Don't grieve for me. The slayer helped me. I am at peace in my heart for the first time ever."

He nodded at her briefly just as they heard the door at the end of the hall slam shut and lock. He handed the sword to Spike and whispered, "Take Buffy and Dru and get out of here. Don't wait for me."

"No Angelus, I won't leave you here to these monsters," Buffy told him. She was weak and there was nothing she could do to help him, but she was still concerned about his safety.

"Don't worry baby, I'll be fine;" he kissed her on the forehead. "I just have some cleanup work to do." He turned to Spike. "Get them out of here - now. Get all of you to safety. You know where to go. When you get there, tell Penn I'm ready and have Templeton's mate take care of Buffy. After you and Dru have fed and Buffy can travel, Templeton will fly the three of you by jet back to the US and return for me. If you do not hear from me by the end of next week, you know that I am not coming."

"S-Sire…" Spike's words caught in his throat. Though he and Angel were not friends, he could not bear the thought that Angelus no longer existed.

"Angelus, don't harm Griffiths; he tried to help me."

"I know." He turned to Spike, "There are minions at the end of the tunnel; have one of them drive you to Templeton's and tell the rest to come in and be quiet. Go, Will."

Spike nodded briefly and without another word Drusilla took Buffy from Angelus and Spike led the way as he and Dru hurried through the door leading to the escape tunnel. He didn't know what to expect, but he had to be ready for anything; thankfully he had two weapons, Angelus' sword and an iron bar from one of the cell doors. It dawned on him then that Angelus was unarmed. At the end of the tunnel he found the minions anxiously waiting for Angelus. He gave them Angelus' instructions and his sword. Once he saw the minions, he was sure that he wouldn't need it.

Part 7

Angelus quickly lowered the iron gate that hid the tunnel entrance, threw the five unconscious men into cells and stood under the stairs as four men descended. He could smell the alcohol that they had been drinking. "Quentin, where are you?" one of them yelled. "We're here and ready for the party that you promised us."

Angelus barely controlled the growl that rose in his throat. "So it's a party you want, heh? Well, a party it is then, and guess what, I'm the host and you're all invited."

Panic struck the men when they saw Angelus in full game face as he stepped to the bottom of the stairs. "Angelus. What are you doing here? Where's Quentin?"

Angelus said with a sneer that caused his demonic face to look even more threatening, if that was possible, "He decided to start the party without you, but don't worry, you'll catch up."

The man at the top of the stairs turned and tried to retreat back up the stairs. With one leap Angelus was at the top landing. "Unh unh unh," he said in a teasing voice, but the look on his face told them that this was no joke. Angelus gave a quick shove against the chest of the man who was attempting escape and the four men found themselves in a heap on the floor.

"Get off me," yelled the guy on the bottom of the pile, "you broke my arm."

Angelus leapt off the stairs landing next to the pile of 'party goers'; he reached down and grabbed the one that had spoken, "Tsk tsk," he said with a smile (and on his demon face that was scarier than anything they had ever seen), "It's only sprained." He grabbed the injured arm by the wrist and gave it a downward jerk. The man yelled out in pain as he heard his arm snap. "See," Angelus continued, "now it's broken."

He picked the men up two at a time and threw them into cells and locked the cell doors. He then walked to the prison exit and, using the codes he received from Griffiths opened the door. The minions entered in game face and waited for further instructions.

"Now that we're all here, let's get this party started, shall we? How nice, thanks to Quentin most of your friends are all gone for a three day weekend; so it's just the nine of you and all of us for three whole days. Whatever shall we do?"


	7. And Nobody Believed Her

The Big Payback

**A/N: I want to apologize to all of you who have asked me to finish this story. I have once again had major computer problems and I lost all of the stories (completed and in progress) that I was recreating from a computer disaster earlier in the year. I don't normally leave stories hanging like this. The Big Payback was completed several months ago and because I have been working on other fics since then, I do not remember the exact original ending. Sorry. Again, I apologize for the delay.**

Chapter 7 – And Nobody Believed Her

Part 1

Buffy, Spike and Drusilla stayed with the Pendletons for two days, by which time the vampires were physically completely recovered from their ordeal at the Watchers' Council; emotionally, however, it may have been quite different, but neither of them let it show. Buffy also seemed emotionally healthy, however, even with slayer healing it was obvious that she was not back up to par.

The Pendletons, who were obviously some kind of demon, had taken good care of their guests. Mrs. Pendleton stayed by Buffy's bedside for the entire night and next day after they arrived. She gave instructions to her husband and other members of her household who obeyed immediately; her only concern seemed to be the slayer. She fed, bathed, dressed and generally took care of Buffy as if she was her own daughter. Spike didn't know what kind of concoction she had her family brew up, but Mrs. Pendleton spoon-fed it to Buffy every two hours throughout the next twenty-four hours after they arrived and it did wonders for the slayer's recovery; after the first day he could see color coming back to Buffy's face.

By the end of the second day the slayer could not sit still any longer; she had to get back to California. Mrs. Pendleton was not happy with the decision, but she understood that Buffy had to leave. "You really should continue the treatment for another two days," she told her patient, "but I understand that you are concerned about your friends."

Buffy wondered briefly how she knew that, but she let it slide. With profound thanks and promises to return for a visit, the three guests said their good-byes and were off to the airport with Pendleton.

Part 2

Buffy slept very little during the flight back to the US due to her anxious concerns for her mother and her friends. The plane from London arrived at a private air strip in LA just after sunset where a car was waiting to take Buffy, Spike and Drusilla to Angel's apartment. The apartment was small but clean and neat; with the sofa in the living room, there was enough space for the three of them to sleep, but Buffy had other ideas. After she got no answer at her house, at the Magic Box and at Giles' house when she called, she started to panic.

"Spike, I need to get to Sunnydale as soon as possible. I have to know that my mother and my friends are all right."

"Okay, we can take Angel's car; you and Dru can sleep on the way."

Three hours after arriving in LA from London and after finding no one at her house on Revello Drive, Buffy, Spike and Drusilla were walking up the walkway leading to Giles' house. Buffy rang the door bell. When Giles answered the door, his surprise quickly turned to anger. "What are you doing here? And with them?" His voice reflected the expression on his face.

Before she could answer, she heard Willow's voice ask, "Giles, who is it?"

Without answering he opened the door wide enough for Willow to see. "Why did you come back, Buffy? We thought you were gone for good this time."

"Yeah, Buff, why did you bother coming back at all?"

This came from Xander who had also come to the door. Buffy turned to her watcher. "Giles what is going on here? Aren't you even going to let me in?"

"How do I know you're not a vampire like your friends?" he asked; his face contorted in anger as he pointed to Spike and Drusilla.

"Giles! I'm wearing a cross for goodness sake," Buffy said pointing to the silver cross around her neck.

Obviously embarrassed, Giles stepped aside to let her in.

"You know that Spike and Drusilla need an invitation."

"I'm aware of that."

Xander was livid. "Uh uh, no way. You're lucky he's letting you in; no way are these blood sucking fiends being invited in."

"Surely you don't expect me to invite two vicious vampires into my home."

"Giles, they aren't going to harm anyone; they have their souls."

Tara, who had been quiet until now spoke up and said, "She's right, Mr. Giles. I can read their auras; theirs are cleaner than most human auras."

"Very well. Spike, Drusilla, you may enter."

As the two vampires entered the house Xander retreated to the back of the room and picked up a crossbow. "Just to be on the safe side." he said pointing the weapon at Spike and Dru.

Spike almost laughed out loud as he thought to himself, 'Yeah, right, we're probably safer than you are right now since, from the way you're holding that thing, you obviously do not know how to use it.'

"Now, Buffy, why don't you tell us where you've been all summer; we haven't seen or heard from you since graduation day." This came from Willow who, of Buffy's three friends, had tried hardest of all to find her.

"Yes, Buffy, where were you. We know that you weren't with Angel because he was here with us part of the time helping to protect us from Faith," Giles asked, his bitterness showing clearly on his face and in his voice.

"Faith?"

"Yes. Faith. She awoke from her coma and came here looking to get revenge on you for putting her there; when you weren't here, she sought to take her vengeance out on us. I called Angel for help."

"Look guys, I'm sorry; I had no idea."

"Of course you had no idea," Xander jumped in; "you were probably off somewhere feeling sorry for yourself because your vampire boyfriend left you."

Spike had had enough. "You're supposed to be her friends. At least let her tell you where she's been," he said trying hard to control his temper.

"Go ahead, Buff; tell us where you've been."

"I've been in prison. In London."

They didn't believe her, so she tried to explain.

"When I returned home after we stopped the mayor, there was a council retrieval team in my house. I was drugged and taken to London where I was held prisoner by Quentin Travers until we were rescued a few days ago."

They still didn't believe her.

Spike spoke again. "Look at her. Have you ever seen her look like that before? She looks like she hasn't had a decent meal in months; she hadn't until two days ago. Hell, Travers treated me and Dru better than he treated her."

Giles was so angry he was shaking. "Now I know you are lying," he said gesturing at Spike with his eyeglasses that he held in his hand; "I have been in constant contact with Mr. Travers this summer. He was as concerned about finding the slayer as we were."

"Of course he knew you hadn't found the slayer, because he was holding her prisoner and torturing her in the basement of the Watchers' Council."

Buffy couldn't take any more; her patience was wearing thin and her strength was fading. "Let it go, Spike. It doesn't matter any more what they think. Let's go." Her voice was obviously getting weaker as she spoke. The shock of their reactions had caused her to briefly forget to ask about her mother. "Where is my mother? The house doesn't look as though she is living there; I could see old newspapers in the living room and the front lawn looks like it hasn't been mowed in weeks."

Xander shared a guilty look with Willow before replying. "Mrs. Summers said that she had had enough of your childish behavior; she left town over a month ago. We don't know where she went. If you're going to reclaim your house, you need to wait until Willow and I get our things out of there. There is no way that I am sharing a house with you after this summer." Xander spoke with such venom that Buffy turned to look at him to make sure that it was her former friend that was speaking.

Buffy walked toward the door; she stopped and turned to look at her former friends one last time. "Travers told me that he had captured Willow, Xander and Angel and that neither of you would leave his prison alive. I just wanted to see for myself that you were all okay." She continued out the door with Spike and Drusilla following her.

After hearing Buffy's last words, Willow was no longer so sure that they were not making a mistake. "Xander, maybe we should … "

"Uh uh, no maybe, Will. Let's go."

Willow followed him without another word.

Part 3

Spike dropped Buffy off at her house to collect some of her personal items and then he and Drusilla drove to Willy's where they filled up on O positive as they had many times before. The only difference this time was that they promised to return and pay for what they drank. Willy filled them in on the happenings in Sunnydale over the summer. They learned that Faith did indeed wake up from her coma and briefly cause trouble, but that she was currently in prison for attempted murder of the slayer's watcher and friends and for assaulting the slayer's mother.

Buffy collected what she wanted from her house before Xander and Willow arrived. From her upstairs window she saw Xander's car parked across the street and assumed that they were waiting for her to leave. She took one last look around to make sure that she had everything she wanted from the house before leaving. As she was coming down the stairs she heard Spike's car pull into the driveway.

Spike parked the car, got out and rang the doorbell; he knew that Buffy was weakening and would need help with her bags. He ran up the stairs and returned with the pillows from Buffy's bed. "You'll be more comfortable with these on the drive back to LA," he told her.

As he headed the car down Revello Drive toward the highway, Spike looked briefly into the rear view mirror and saw Xander and Willow crossing the street heading for the Summers' house. He glanced at Buffy on the back seat of the car. She was already asleep.


	8. Payback's A Bitca

The Big Payback

Chapter 8 – Payback's A Bitca

Part 1

Five days after he arrived in London Angelus had completed his "interviews" with the Watchers' Council. The Council members along with the retrieval and elimination squads that failed Angelus' test were assembled in the huge presentation room on the second floor guarded by what seemed to them to be an army of vampires; their families were being held at facilities owned by one of Angelus' long time "friends".

Angelus had not killed anyone ... yet ... and it had taken all of his resolve not to do so; however he had made sure that each one of them was now very aware of what it is like to face a group of angry and hungry vampires. The vampires had been told to feed, but not to kill; they would have that pleasure later. Angelus chuckled to himself; he had never before in his life seen so many grown men scream like little girls and faint out of fear. Unaffected by their weaknesses and fear, the Scourge of Europe was ready to proceed to the next step of his plan.

Those few Council members that did pass his interrogation were in a small dining room on the third floor being served a scrumptious meal, completely unaware of what was going on one floor below them.

Downstairs Gretchen waited patiently for Angelus as he dragged Quentin Travers' half conscious body into Travers' office, doused his face and head with cold water and demanded that he pay attention. "You don't want to miss this," he told a quivering Travers, "this part is especially for you."

Travers' hands trembled as he grasped the lapels of his jacket and pulled the soaking wet garment tightly around himself; his body was shaking as he tried to clear his mind and arrange his thoughts so he could show as much courage as he could muster when facing Angelus. The fact was that he was scared senseless. Ironically, in the back of his mind was the thought that his only hope for a rescue, the only person that could possibly defeat Angelus, was the slayer that Angelus himself had rescued from Travers' own prison of horror.

'As head of the Watchers' Council I am within my right to discipline any slayer as I see fit. You have no authority over me,' he kept telling himself. 'I was within my right.' Without being aware of it he actually spoke the words aloud. "As head of the Watchers' Council I am within my right to discipline any slayer as I see fit. You have no authority over me. I am within my right."

That as a serious mistake.

With much effort to control his anger Angelus replied with a voice so calm and deadly that even Gretchen took a step back. "With that you are wrong on so many levels. As head of the Watcher's Council it is your responsibility to see to it that watchers are properly trained, that each potential slayer is brought up in an atmosphere of learning that prepares her well in case she is chosen the next slayer, and that the current active slayer and her watcher have the support that they need from the Council at all times. You have failed in your responsibilities as Council head and I hereby remove you from that position."

"You don't have the authority to remove me from this office."

"Oh really?" The Angelus smirk was back. "Do you know of anyone who can stop me?"

Travers' reply was a weak and ineffective "As head of the Watchers' Council I am within my right to discipline any slayer as I see fit."

In full game face and his nose almost touching Travers' nose as he leaned across the desk, Angelus' yellow eyes bore into the watcher as he roared his disapproval and his response to Travers' words. "As a vampire I am within my right to take revenge in any way I see fit on anyone that attacks my mate. You and yours will pay dearly for what you've done. I have no doubt that you have taken the lives of many slayers since you've been here; well your reign of terror is over. It ends right now."

Part 2

Angelus straightened up and looked briefly at Gretchen who nodded a silent "yes" before he continued.

"As of this moment I have taken possession of everything owned by all of you, you and your family, all of the watchers that are under your thumb and their families, your henchmen and their families. That includes all investments, all bank accounts and all properties, including this building that we're in. Oh, and I didn't miss your off-shore accounts and the money that you regularly siphon off from Council funds to fiance your little getaways to the Cayman Islands."

Travers' response was an undignified snort. "I highly doubt that."

Angelus gestured with his head to Gretchen who turned the computer screen on Travers' desk around so he could see it. "Check your holdings; check any bank account that you had and see what you still own."

With a look of supreme superiority on his face Travers ignored the computer screen and touched a hidden panel inside his desk drawer. A computer monitor and keyboard slid out from under the drawer and positioned in front of Travers.

"Cute," Angelus said, pretending to be surprised.

"Yes, well you're not the only one who has a few surprises up his sleeve," Travers replied confidently as he punched a few codes into his newly revealed keyboard. His confidence quickly faded as time and time again he received a message that said, "Invalid account number."

"What have you done?" He whispered the question, fearful of the answer.

Angelus folded his arms across his chest and said in a conversational tone of voice, "I told you, I have taken possession of everything that you and your family owned." He leaned forward as he placed both hands on the desk again; his voice dropped and became as cold as steel, "Did you think I was joking? I don't joke."

He stood up straight again, his posture completely relaxed as he continued. "The computer is a marvelous invention; there is so much that a hacker can accomplish from his own personal computer before anyone knows anything is going on and Gretchen," he motioned with his head indicating the other vampire in the room without actually looking her way, "is the best hacker in the business."

He nodded to Gretchen again who turned her computer around so she had access to the keyboard. With a few key strokes, pictures appeared on the screen. She turned the screen around again so that Travers could see it. "Tell me," Angelus told him, "do any of these people look familiar to you?" Gretchen continued to hit the enter key every few seconds as screen after screen of familiar faces displayed.

Travers lost his ability to speak.

His distress only fueled Angelus' hatred of the man and his voice turned cold again. "Your family and the rest of the families have been ... how should I say this … sequestered … pending the outcome of this week's activities. I will destroy every living relative of yours and of all of you who have not passed my interrogation to my satisfaction; from the oldest senior to the youngest infant, I will wipe your family lines from the face of the earth. And I will make you watch, helpless, as vermin devour your flesh, knowing that you are completely responsible for what is happening to them and that I am the one meting out justice," he said as his face morphed into its vampire visage and he pounded his fist on the desk causing Travers to visibly flinch, "because this face will be the last thing that you ever see."

Angelus felt justified in eliminating the families of all of the Council's watchers; after all, each watcher comes from a long family line of watchers, each one had grown up with the teachings of the Watchers' Council deeply engrained within themselves from childhood and there was no variance from Council policy allowed. If you did not agree to adhere strictly to Council policy, you did not become a watcher.

Travers crumbled; in no way did he resemble the person that had boasted of having "a few surprises up his sleeve" a few minutes before. "No, please, even you cannot be so vicious. Even you can show mercy."

"Mercy?" Angelus barked with a scowl on his face. "What mercy did you show to my mate when you were torturing her? Starving her? I shall show even less mercy to you and yours. Mercy indeed. Do you know who I am? I don't even know the meaning of the word."

"Please, I beg you..."

With a smirk Angelus gave a long sigh, seeming to reconsider. "You will be pleased to know that I have released some of those that I had sequestered …. "

Travers' face brightened as he attempted to sit up straighter in the chair, "Thank you, I..."

He slumped backward as Angelus chuckled. "I believe they said they were the cook and gardener at your brother's estate."

Angelus turned and left the office and for the first time in history, a vampire's boisterous laughter could be heard in the halls of the Watchers' Council.


	9. Unwanted Interference

The Big Payback

Chapter 9 – Unwanted Interference

Part 1

It was time for the final showdown, time for him to mete out his own brand of justice.

Angelus stood at the edge of the podium in front of the presentation room of the Watchers' Council with his arms folded across his chest; he was flanked on one side by Penn and on the other side by Gretchen. On the floor shoulder to shoulder around the entire room were vampires, all in game face just waiting for Angelus to give the signal to attack. This time they wouldn't be just feeding; this time they would slaughter every human being in the room.

Huddled together around the middle of the large room in small groups were between two-hundred-fifty and three-hundred terrified naked men and women - watchers and the Council's retrieval and elimination squads - weakened from blood loss and fear; most of them had never seen a real live (undead) vampire before; after all, it wasn't their responsibility to face these deadly creatures, that's what slayers were for.

Someone yelled, "Look!" and their attention was drawn from the vampires surrounding them to overhead screens that showed various groups of their family members surrounded by vampires and demons of all sorts as cameras scanned the rooms where they were being held. One of the watchers spoke up; what did he have to lose?

"Why are you doing this?"

"Would you like to have your leader explain it to you?" Angelus asked in reply. He turned around, grabbed Travers by the throat and threw him none too gently to the floor in front of them. His voice was pleasant, almost teasing, when he said, "Go ahead, Mr. Travers, tell your friends what you've been doing to bring us to this point."

From the crowd voices demanded, "Quentin what have you done?" "What have you gotten us into?" "I told you he should never have been head of the Council."

"Enough!" Angelus in full game face roared and the room silenced. "I met with each of you over the last few days. You know exactly why you are here. Travers' recent actions were the last of many that brought us here and I find each of you and your families guilty, either by your actions or your lack of action. All of you in this room and on those monitors will forfeit your lives. My decision is final."

Part 2

A chorus of whimpering, begging and pleading could be heard from the floor and just as Angelus was about to give the signal for the demons guarding the families to attack, he heard,

"Stop!"

He turned in the direction of the voice and saw two robed blue and green skinned beings step out of a bright light in mid-air and approach him. Angelus knew them to be the Oracles with whom Angel had had dealings his first week in LA.

"You can't do this," the female Oracle told him.

"And why not? They are all guilty of untold crimes against slayers and most recently against my mate. They will die as I see fit."

"You cannot just wipe out one-third of England's leading families for the sake of vengeance."

Angelus was adamant. "I can and I will."

"No, warrior, you will not."

Angelus rolled his eyes and gave a snort. "Oh, don't mistake me for that weakling soul; I'm not your warrior."

"You are. Why do you think you have survived this long? Why do you think we returned you from hell? Why do you think we allowed the slayer to sacrifice herself to save you from certain death after you had been poisoned?"

Angelus had no answer to these questions, but there was no way he was going to keep quiet about the Oracles' interference. "You can't just let them go; they must pay for what they've done. They are all guilty."

"Yes, and they will all get what they deserve."

With that all of the prisoners disappeared, first the families on the monitors, then the council members in the presentation room, next the demons guarding the families and finally the vampire guards in the presentation room.

Angelus got the impression that all of the demons and vampires were terminated, but he didn't know for sure. "You have no right to interfere," he growled, "no right whatsoever. For thousands of years you have not protected the slayers from humans such as these; you have allowed people like Quentin Travers to treat slayers, your warriors, any way they saw fit and you did nothing. Now, when I finally step in to exact justice against them, you decide at last to interfere. Why? Why now after all this time?"

"We cannot allow you to continue on this course because it is contrary to the destiny that the Powers have planned for you."

"Pfft. Since when are the Powers concerned about a destiny for a demon?"

The female answered softly, "Since before you were born they determined your destiny – to meet and fall in love with this slayer and to protect her for the rest of her life from the day she was called. The soul has failed to do that; we knew that you would not fail. We sent you here to rescue her, not to punish the guilty. The right to punish belongs to the Powers alone."

The two Oracles walked over to Penn and Gretchen; each touched a single finger to the temples of the vampires. Penn and Gretchen each took a strangled breath and fell to the floor. "No, no, no," they wailed over and over as their pasts replayed in their minds.

"Rise," the female Oracle said gently. Again they touched a single finger to the temples of the vampires. "Remain with your sire and his mate and follow their lead. Such is your destiny."

This time Penn and Gretchen just looked at the Oracles with sad eyes. "Thank you," they both said finally and looked downward.

The Oracles nodded at them and turned to Angelus. "From this day forward you, your mate and your childer along with your seer and a witch will fight to protect the earth from evil," the female told him.

The male spoke for the first time. "You and the soul shall become one warrior with one purpose and one destiny at the end of your life."

Panic struck Angelus as he felt his dead heart constrict in his chest. They were taking Buffy away from him and giving her to the soul; the two of them will go to heaven and he … Angelus couldn't bring himself to even think the words.

"You would take my mate from me?" he whispered.

Again the male Oracle spoke. "Have you not heard anything that was said? You and the soul shall become one warrior with one purpose and one destiny."

"Yes, I heard that, but I'm a demon and demons don't go to heaven," Angelus answered softly.

The male Oracle's patience was wearing thin; he repeated the words slowly to make sure that Angelus understood. "One warrior. One purpose. One destiny."

The light came on and Angelus' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, "You mean … ?"

The male Oracle smiled briefly before returning to his normal stoic facade. "I mean. Your mate and your childer will be restored to health and your greatest wish will be granted, eternity in paradise with your mate by your side."

For the first time in his very long existence Angelus felt humble and tears sprang to his eyes. "I will do whatever you ask of me," he said softly; "you have my word."

"We know, warrior."

Elated as he was with the news of his future, Angelus still could not give up on vengeance. "Did you see what they did to my mate? You can't just let them go. They have to pay," he demanded.

"Those responsible will get what they deserve, but not by your hands, warrior," the female Oracle replied as she and her brother started to disappear.

"Spoil my fun." Angelus growled his complaint.

The last thing he heard from the Oracles was a chuckle as they vanished from his sight.

He walked over to his childer. Their heads remained down; they could not look at him. "Penn, Gretchen, what is wrong? What did they do to y...?" Then it dawned on him what had happened. "They restored your souls."

Penn looked at his sire briefly and then down again; he could not face anyone, not even his sire, knowing the things that he had done.

Angelus put his arms around Penn and Gretchen hugging them. "We are family; we will get through this together."

Gretchen hugged Angelus. "Thank you, sire." She then turned and hugged her mate. "We don't have to be alone anymore; we have our family again."

Angelus smiled, a true smile, his first in a very long time and with an arm around each childe, he said, "Let's go home."


	10. Epilogue – It All Comes together

The Big Payback

A/N: This epilogue is not especially Scoobies friendly. If this offends you, you might want to stop reading now.

Epilogue – It All Comes together

Part 1

Angelus called from the plane on his way back to California to let his family know that he was en-route and approximately what time to expect him.

Those in Angel's apartment turned anxiously toward the door when they heard a key in the lock. Buffy threw herself into her mate's arms as Angelus, Penn and Gretchen entered. "I am so happy to see you; are you all right? Were you injured?"

"I'm happy to see you too, baby," he said holding her close; "I'm fine. I wasn't injured at all, well not physically anyway. I experienced a bit of ego bruising, but nothing I can't handle."

Those in the room held their giggles to themselves, not wanting to offend their fearless leader. They had received a visit from the Oracles as well and they had a good idea what had caused Angelus' "ego bruising."

As Angelus introduced Penn and Gretchen to Buffy and Doyle, he noticed that Penn and Spike would not look at each other. He was aware of the bitterness that existed between his two childer and he hoped they could let bygones be bygones.

Gretchen decided to break the ice; she took the initiative and walked over to Drusilla. "We have to let the past remain in the past so that we can be a family again."

Dru agreed and they hugged each other warmly. "I have missed you, my sister," she told Gretchen.

"Oh Dru, how I've missed you."

"Bloody hell," Spike exclaimed to Penn, "our mates are smarter than we are," as they too hugged each other. The couples then switched and hugged the others' mates as the rest of the group applauded their reconciliation.

Angelus wore a puzzled expression on his face and when Buffy asked him why, his reply was, "This completes our little group except for one person; does anybody know who the witch is supposed to be?"

"We don't know who it is; all we know is that the Oracles said that she would find us when … "

Before Doyle could complete what he was saying, there was a soft knock on the door. Since she was closest, Buffy opened the door. "Hello," she greeted the person on the other side of the door, "please come in; we weren't introduced when I was in Sunnydale. I'm Buffy."

"T-Tara," the shy woman said as she entered the apartment.

"Let me guess; you're a witch."

"Y-Yes. The Oracles s-sent me."

After introductions and greetings were done, Doyle brought everyone up to date on the recent visions he had had. For one thing their group would be responsible for patrolling LA and Sunnydale until Faith was released from prison and their new headquarters would be the Hyperion Hotel and, when needed, the Crawford Street Mansion in Sunnydale.

"Already taken care of," spoke a new arrival as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Whistler," Angelus and Buffy exclaimed with annoyance, "what are you doing here?"

Part 2

"Hi, kids, nice to see you all together and getting along; you're going to be together for a long time. I just stopped by to update you on a couple of things. I have some information that you are going to need to know." Noticing Doyle he greeted him with, "Doyle, ole buddy, how are ya?"

Annoyed at the little balance demon, Buffy wanted to know, "Are you always going to be popping in like that without any warning?"

"What's the matter, kid, you guys don't like surprises?"

He received a loud chorus of, "NO!"

"All right, all right, next time I'll knock."

He paused briefly until he saw the group relax and smiles return to their faces, then he continued. "Here's the deal." He turned to Angelus and handed him a sealed package containing legal documents. "Let's all sit down shall we? There are a few things that I need to go over with you."

Once everyone was seated in the small living room, Whistler proceeded to explain the reason for his visit. "That package," he pointed to the package he had just given to Angelus, "contains all of the legal documents that define your holdings; they are under the name 'Angel Enterprises Inc', or 'AE Inc,' in both your names, Liam Angelus O'Connor and Elizabeth (Buffy) Ann Summers.

"AE Inc owns three hotels, two in Los Angeles (including the Hyperion) and one in Sunnydale, the Crawford Street mansion and the apartment building where Angel had an apartment in Sunnydale, two restaurants – one in LA and one in Sunnydale, a modern animals shambles and meat processing plant that supplies meat to some of the finest restaurants on the west coast and will teleport fresh bagged blood to the Hyperion Hotel and the Crawford Street mansion three times a week, or as directed by you, and a corporation account.

"AE Inc also controls other businesses and supports several charities as you will see outlined in the documents. You and your team do not receive salaries per se, but the money earned by your current businesses goes directly to your corporate account and is more than enough to support the eight of you and to pay any clerical or support personnel that you hire. Servants of the Powers absolutely loyal to the two of you have been put in place to run your businesses with or without you; they do, however, report directly to the two of you.

"The eight of you, as listed in those documents make up AE Inc. You are free to make any changes to your businesses as you see fit. If at any time you and your mate wish to acquire other businesses, to expand into other arenas or to hire support personnel, that is up to you, but any profit earned by your new businesses must be donated to the charities listed. You and your mate are joint owners of all resources and together you decide how those resources are used, however, the primary responsibility of the eight of you is, and will always be, to fight evil wherever it exists in the world, helping the helpless, responding to Doyle's visions and supporting each other.

"Your corporate headquarters will be the Hyperion Hotel, also the Crawford Mansion when necessary. Those two locations are being restored even as we speak; as a matter of fact the Hyperion is ready for your occupancy whenever you are.

"To the public and legal authorities AE Inc looks like a successful private corporation that is very generous with its employees and several charities. No one except the eight of you and the limited support personnel that you hire will know the true nature and purpose of your organization. Once your support personnel are no longer part of your organization, all knowledge of what you do will be automatically erased from their memory.

"That package contains keys, access codes, security codes, phone numbers and anything else you might need for access to all of your properties, attorneys etc. It also contains legal identities, birth certificates, Social Security cards and passports for those of you who do not have them.

"And by the way, Angelus, all properties and resources that you acquired while you were in London, except those that will be actually needed by the new Watchers' Council, have been donated appropriately to non-profit organizations in Europe and around the world that suffered losses thanks to the greedy and illegal activities of the prior owners. Anything that the families earned through honest means was returned to them and they will never be aware that they ever owned anything else."

"Damn. And I was hoping that they would be left penniless; I should've known that the Powers wouldn't let me get away with that," Angelus complained.

"Don't worry; considering that most of the assets were obtained through shady dealings somewhere in their family history, most of them will find themselves working for the people that they previously swindled.

"Any questions?"

No one said anything. They were all trying to digest all of the information they had just received until Buffy spoke up and asked, "How do we get in touch with you if we need you?"

"I'll be around," Whistler said before disappearing.

"Does he always pop in and out like that," Spike asked.

"Yes, he does," Angel answered.

The others didn't notice anything, but Buffy did because she asked, "Angel?"

"Yes, love, it's me."

"What happened to Angelus?"

"I'm here, baby."

"Both of you are in there?"

"Both of us have always been in here, you know that," came the reply as her loves took her in their arms and kissed her. Buffy really couldn't tell who spoke or who kissed her and at this point, she really didn't care. "Are you happy?" they asked.

"Very happy," she answered as her family cheered.

"Before we delve into this package from Whistler, why don't we go over to the Hyperion and check out our new home office and living quarters?" Angelus told his team. He looked at Buffy with a gleam in his eyes and his little half-smile half-smirk on his face. "I recall that the hotel has a suite that would be perfect for us."

Buffy blushed, knowing full well what Angelus had on his mind.

Part 3

The Hyperion Hotel had been beautifully redone; from wall to wall and ceiling to floor it looked completely new and modernized. The AE team members enjoyed themselves as they ran from room to room and suite to suite trying to decide which to choose for themselves.

They decided that the bottom two floors would be corporate headquarters, the third floor would be reserved for guests of the team members. "Don't bother going up to the sixth floor," Angelus told his friends as he guided Buffy to the penthouse elevator, "that one is already taken." (Whistler was sure that Angelus would choose the sixth floor for himself and his mate). That left floors four and five for everyone else.

The first basement contained a spacious and fully equipped workout/training room with a full complement of weapons and a library that rivaled that at the Watchers' Council. The second basement was a well stocked emergency shelter with an emergency tunnel exit (just in case).

"Looks like Whistler thought of everything," Doyle said as the group finished their tour of the hotel.

"The entire hotel is quite beautifully done," Dru said thinking out loud. "I think we should give Buffy more recovery time. She still looks quite thin."

The group agreed and everyone retired to their own chosen quarters for the night.

Apparently the Powers also agreed with Dru because during their first few weeks at the Hyperion Doyle received no visions, Buffy had no slayer dreams and Tara and Dru got no hints of anything that required the team's attention.

Part 4

As he had promised, Angelus tried turning control over to Angel now that Buffy was safe, but he found that the process of becoming one being as the Oracles had stated had already begun. It seemed that between the influence of Angel's soul and the calming affect that Buffy had on him, he and Angel were not as different as the two of them had thought they were for the last one hundred years.

What they found was that, besides their love for Buffy, there were many other areas in which they agreed, like art and poetry, literature and languages, ballet and opera. And, of course, there were still areas in which they had nothing in common, for example, Angelus could sing and dance very well while Angel was not good at either; Angel enjoyed cooking for his friends which Angelus found revolting, unless of course he was cooking for Buffy.

Eventually the person that emerged was an Angelus who was confident, self-assertive and fiercely loyal and protective of his mate and his family, who laughed and joked easily with others, who demanded respect and was a natural leader. All of the team members found that they liked this Angelus very much. He insisted on being called Angelus instead of Angel because it was, according to him, "a pride thing." No one objected.

Since the vampires still slept during the day; Buffy changed her sleeping habits so that she could be with her mate.

This left Doyle and Tara to run the business during the day unless something came up that they couldn't handle and before anyone knew what was happening, the two of them were a couple.

Part 5

The night after the team moved into the Hyperion, being careful not to awaken her mate, Buffy freed herself from Angelus' arms and went to the bathroom to refill her water glass. When she entered the bathroom and switched on the light she did not notice anything out of the ordinary, however, when she turned to leave and saw herself in the full length mirror in the bathroom door, she let out a blood curdling scream. Angelus was at her side in an instant.

Buffy stood there staring at the mirror unable to speak.

"Baby, what is it, what … ahhh, look at you ... "

Angelus could not finish his question when he looked at Buffy. She was completely restored to health; her hair had grown back full and lustrously silky, her skin was fresh and soft and showed no trace of the treatment she had received at the Watcher's Council, her body had filled out nicely and she looked more fit than ever. Angelus heard the others coming up the stairs and covered Buffy and himself with bath sheets.

By the time the rest of the team members arrived they were noticing changes in themselves. Spike and Drusilla were now back to normal and Drusilla's hair was restored to its full length and luster and she was not quite so thin; Tara no longer stuttered; and Doyle no longer felt the need for alcohol.

"I feel so much stronger," Buffy thought out loud.

"We all do," Doyle told her; "I just got a message from the Powers that said that the abilities that some of us had have been greatly increased and the rest of us have been given added strength and healing."

"When the Powers give a gift, they really give a gift. I guess we're going to need these new abilities in our work. We might as well go down to the training room and see what we can do; it's obvious that no one is going to sleep for a while."

As it turned out their gifts from the Powers were more extensive than they first thought.

Doyle could control when his demon face appeared, he no longer felt pain with the visions and he was as strong as a vampire. His visions were much clearer and were received well enough in advance for the team to plan appropriately.

Tara's magic abilities had increased tenfold, she no longer stuttered and she had the strength of a warrior.

Dru could see the future sometimes and she had limited mind control and hypnotic abilities. These would improve over time.

Gretchen, in addition to her computer skills, was the team's lead researcher and an expert in ancient languages.

Buffy had increased speed and strength, healing and endurance, her slayer dreams were clearer and she had increased night vision.

All could communicate telepathically with each other. Angelus felt that this would surely help prevent what happened to Buffy at the Watchers' Council from ever happening again.

After everyone had paired off and tested their new strengths for a while, Spike turned to Tara and said, "Okay, girlie, let's see what you've got." His thought was that Tara would be the weak link on the team.

He was so wrong.

Thanks to her new strength and her magic, Tara defeated Spike handily receiving cheers and hugs from the other "girlies" in the group.

"Looks like I'm the weak link on the team," Spike grumbled as his team members laughed.

"Don't worry, my Spike," Dru teased, "I'll protect you."

Spike had to laugh at that as he gave Dru a hug. "Thanks, pet."

Part 6

Later in the day Buffy sensed that there was something Tara wanted to discuss with her, so she approached her new witch friend and asked if there was something on her mind that she needed to talk about.

That opened the flood gates.

Tara poured her heart out to Buffy. She had thought that she and Willow were good friends, but when she told Willow about her visit from the Oracles, Willow became incensed. All Tara knew was that she was instructed to go to a certain address on a certain day at a certain time and to join the people there in their work to protect humanity; she did not know who the people were and certainly not that Buffy would be one of them.

Willow felt for sure that Buffy was starting a new group in LA without the people that had supported her for the last two years and, if the group needed a witch, it should be herself and not Tara and she proceeded to break off their friendship.

Giles and Xander agreed with Willow and the three of them would have nothing more to do with Tara. Giles even told her that her work at the Magic Shop was no longer needed.

Willow and Xander seemed to have become a couple while Buffy was away. Willow hadn't said it directly, but Tara got the impression that Willow blamed Buffy for coming between her and Xander from the beginning.

"Don't worry, Tara," Buffy told her, "you have a home with us now; you always will. You're family now."

The two of them hugged each other and shed tears for lost friends.

Since no one had heard from Joyce since she moved away from Sunnydale, Buffy could only assume that her mother was not interested in finding out about her daughter.

Part 7

As time passed all of the vampires on the team became more tolerant of sunlight, fire and holy objects and needed less and less blood to sustain them while retaining the positive aspects of the demon.

"Are we becoming human?" Angelus asked Whistler on one of his frequent pop-ins.

"I don't know," Whistler told him, "I am on a 'need to know basis only' with the Powers. I guess I'll know about the same time as the rest of you."

Part 8

Cordelia Chase walked into the Hyperion one day looking for a job; she was surprised to see Buffy and what she thought was Angel. She explained to them that she was merely looking for temporary work until she achieved the international superstar status for which she was sure she was destined.

Angelus looked at Dru who shook her head "No" on the superstar prospects.

When Buffy told her that they were looking for a general office worker to do some filing, answer the phones, make coffee etc., her reply was, "That requires no skills; who's better qualified for that than me?"

After a month on the job, Angelus could not take it any longer; he and Buffy called Cordelia into the office and told her to start taking acting lessons because she was not working out in her current position. Cordelia agreed and two months later she had captured the attention of a talent agent who was a friend of one of her instructors; he got her a tryout for a toothpaste commercial and she happily left her employment at AE Inc.

"Look for me on television," she told everybody, "this is my big break." Dru laughed and gave her a goodbye hug.

Even though he was in a committed relationship with Tara, Doyle fell hard for Cordelia the minute she walked through the door of the hotel and, despite the fact that she constantly ignored him, he kept up his pursuit. After weeks of trying and being ignored, he finally realized that his efforts were wasted and he turned back to Tara, humbly apologized for his actions and begged her to take him back.

Tara's reply was simple. "I will forgive you this once, but if you ever pull a stunt like that again, we are finished for good. Is that clear?"

It must have been very clear, because two years later Doyle and Tara were making wedding plans.

Buffy and Tara ran into Anne one day while grocery shopping and invited her to have dinner with them at the Hyperion. Buffy and Anne had met earlier when Buffy came to LA after the Acathla incidence and her fight with Angelus. Over dinner Anne explained that she had tried to get a homeless shelter started for young people in LA who had no place to go, but she had trouble getting enough funding to keep the shelter open.

When they heard this, Buffy and Angelus volunteered to provide support for the shelter and to add it to the list of charities that they supported. Anne was over-joyed.

It was through Anne that Charles Gunn (Gunn as he preferred to be called) and his sister Alonna came to be employed by AE Inc. Alonna worked as receptionist and general office assistant, the position formerly held by Cordelia, and Gunn was being trained to fight like a warrior.

Part 9

Angelus and Buffy opened up to each other and talked about past hurts and regrets and plans for a future together.

"I want you to know that I never wanted to leave you, but I knew that I had to. I regret not discussing it with you and leaving like I did. I would've never left you given the option, but I had no choice. You have my word, love, never again will I leave you or deliberately hurt you in any way."

At first Buffy could easily distinguish between the remnants of Angel's thoughts from those of Angelus, however, as time passed this was not so clear. Buffy didn't care, she was just happy to have the man that she loved by her side.

Angelus showered her with gifts, attention and love, always love. He was affectionate, caring and so much fun to be with; Buffy had never been happier. She never asked why it was Angelus who came to her rescue instead of Angel and he never said.

Part 10

Six months after the team moved into the Hyperion Hotel, Buffy received a visit from Giles, Willow and Xander. After spotting Buffy in an office across the room, they ignored Alonna at the receptionist's desk and walked over to Angelus' office and entered without knocking.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," Alonna apologized. "They ignored me when I asked if I could help them."

"It's okay; they're probably here to see me."

According to the visitors, since it appeared that Buffy was not going to make an effort to reconcile with them, they decided to take the initiative and forgive because, according to Willow, "That's what friends do and they finally were willing to admit their mistakes and wanted to let bygones be bygones."

Buffy, being Buffy, was ready to accept their apology, but the newly merged Angel/Angelus stepped in and took them to task for the way they had treated his mate. In no uncertain terms he made it clear that he did not support the reconciliation.

"If you think for one minute you are going to waltz in here with your high and mighty attitudes and expect my mate to say all is forgiven, you are very much mistaken. You have proven by your actions that you do not deserve Buffy's friendship and Giles, if you had listened to Griffiths when he contacted you regarding Buffy's whereabouts, she could have been spared much of the torture that she experienced."

Xander's response was, "This conversation is between Buffy and her friends and does not include you, dead boy."

That was a serious mistake.

Angelus punched him in the nose so hard he landed on his back across the room.

"What is the matter with you, Angel? Why did you hit him?" Giles demanded.

Ignoring Giles, Angelus stormed across the room, picked Xander up by the throat and was heading for the door with him when he heard Buffy's voice.

"Let him go, please."

Angelus dropped Xander and walked back over to Buffy who explained. "This isn't Angel, at least not the Angel that you knew in Sunnydale."

"What do you mean by 'not the Angel that you knew in Sunnydale'? Who the hell is he?" Xander demanded.

"Angel and Angelus have merged. Actually he is more Angelus than Angel."

"What?" the three visitors shouted.

Angelus could see the anger on their faces as he folded his arms across his chest and, with a voice of cool and calm authority that left no doubt that he meant every word, he spoke.

"I will not apologize for the actions of the unsouled demon that I was. Buffy and I head up Angel Enterprises, Inc. If it is your desire to become a part of this organization, I am willing to accept you for her sake, but you will report to us. Let me make myself very clear, under no circumstances will I tolerate the disrespect that Angel did, not for myself, my mate or my family. The eight of us form the core of this organization; anyone that we accept on the support team must be willing to follow our lead. If you can accept these conditions, you are welcome here; if not, you don't belong here."

The three of them looked at Buffy for her reaction to Angelus' words. Buffy looped her arm with Angelus' elbow letting them know that she wholeheartedly agreed with him.

"I have been your watcher since you came to Sunnydale and now you would turn your back on me and your friends for Angelus? This is unacceptable to me; I could never work with him. Goodbye, Buffy."

At that Giles turned and headed for the door muttering "Come along Willow, Xander."

Xander didn't hesitate to follow Giles, but Willow did until she heard, "Will, are you coming?"

With regret in her voice, Willow said, "Don't worry, Buffy, they'll come around; they love you." With that she took one last look at Buffy and followed her friends out of the door.

Giles and Xander never returned. Willow came back once, but on this occasion it was midday and Alonna, Tara and Doyle were the only ones in the office. When she saw Tara she got angry all over again and yelled, "So this is where you've been; you went behind our backs and joined Buffy's new team. I see where your loyalties are. You were trying to take Buffy from us all along."

Tara tried to explain. "Willow, I tried to tell you when I was in Sunnydale that the Oracles told me to come here. I didn't know who would be here until I got to the address that they gave me."

"I didn't believe you then and I don't believe you now. You were trying to take Buffy from me. She was my friend, not yours."

"And what kind of friend were you when she came looking for her friends in Sunnydale?" Tara shot back. "All of you, including you Willow, turned your backs on her even after she told you she had been held prisoner by the Watchers' Council, and you could all see the condition that she was in. I'm glad that you all turned your backs on me; I don't need friends like that. Goodbye, Willow." Tara turned and left the room.

Willow was stunned by the forceful tone of Tara's voice. She was not used to such assertive behavior from the formerly very shy witch. She left the Hyperion Hotel that day and never returned.

Part 11

A new Watchers' Council was formed in London jointly headed by those that had passed Angelus' test. Others would be trained, but before that could happen existing rules and procedures had to be modified or eliminated all together. The new Council was determined that never again would there be a Quentin Travers type watcher in their organization and the Council would function in support of the slayers, watchers and potential slayers.

Giles was offered a position as adviser to the new Council. He accepted their offer and once again took London for his permanent residence. Willow and Xander decided to follow Giles to London where they eventually married and Willow studied to be a watcher.

Responding to Doyle's visions took the AE Core Team all over the world fighting evil and they always left a location in better condition than when they arrived. Upon her release from prison, Faith took over slaying responsibilities for Sunnydale with Wesley Wyndham-Price as her watcher.

Under the directions of the Powers, AE Inc functioned successfully for many generations. The humans aged slowly and were eventually replaced by their offspring. One by one each of the vampires earned their humanity and at the end of their lives, each member of AE Inc received the reward originally promised to Angelus by the Oracles so many years before.

Angelus never again saw the Council members that he had been about to annihilate when the Oracles stopped him. He just hoped the Oracles kept their promise, that the watchers and their henchmen got "exactly what they deserved".

His thought was, 'Wherever they are, I hope they're enjoying themselves. Heh heh heh.'

The end

A/N: Thank you to all of you readers and especially to those of you who sent feedback or chose this fic as a favorite. It is very much appreciated.

Nitrowugs


End file.
